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THE 



INAUGURAL ADDRESS 





REV. J. G. BINNEY, D. D., 

AS PRESIDENT OF THE 

COLUMBIAN COLLEGE, D.C., 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1855. 




WASHINGTON : 

PRINTED BY R. A. WATERS. 

1857. 




945 
1 



THE 



INAUGURAL ADDEESS 



EEV. J GfBINNEY, D. D., 

AS PRESIDENT OF THE 

COLUMBIAN COLLEGE, D. C, 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1855. 



WASHINGTON : 
PRINTED BY R. A. WATERS. 

7 1857. 



Washington, D. C, December 19iA, 1856. 

Rev. Dr. J. G. BINNEY, 

Dear Sir : The friends of the Columbian College are urgent that 
the resolution of the Board of Trustees, passed after the delivery of 
your Inaugural Address, requesting it of you for publication, should 
be again brought to your notice. They hope you will not defer the 
publication of it any longer, and believe that the interests of the Col- 
lege and of humanity would be advanced by the diffusion of its wise 
and elevating sentiments. That it may be your pleasure to grant it 
for these purposes, is the wish of 

Your obedient servant, 

S. C. SMOOT, 

Sec. Board of Trustees of Col. Coll. 



Columbian College, December 22nd, 1856. 

S. C. SMOOT, M. D., 

Sec. Board of Trustees of Col. Coll. 

Dear Sir : When my address was first requested for the press, I 
supposed that my friends had overlooked the unusual number of such 
addresses being published about that time. I was, therefore, reluctant 
to comply with the request. If, however, they now think that its 
publication will in any way promote the best interests of education, it 
can but give me pleasure to accede to their wishes : I accordingly 
send you the manuscript. 

Very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

J. G. BINNEY. 



ADDRESS. 



When hearers are anticipating interest connected with novelty, 
it is, to the speaker, a depressing consideration, that " the thing 
which hath been is that which shall be," and that "there is no 
new thing under the sun." Especially is this true of occasions like 
the present, when, from the nature of the case, every thought and 
almost every possible modification of thought have long since 
been made common property. But if with the wisest of men we 
are constrained to ask — " Is there anything whereof it may be 
said, See, this is new ?." — it is a partial relief to this depression to 
consider, that the same wise man has immediately added, " There 
is no remembrance of former things." If the often repeated pre- 
sentation of the claims of a Liberal Education had found a lodge- 
ment in the minds of men and had produced its legitimate effect 
in the community, there would remain as little motive to a re- 
newed consideration of the subject, as there can be pleasure in it. 
But the highest interests of man, however ably reasoned and 
beautifully and forcibly illustrated, con^e slowly to occupy, in our 
minds and efforts, the place they so richly deserve. 

True, every friend of man and of liberal, civil institutions must 
rejoice at the wide diffusion of knowledge, at the multiplication, 



6 

over all our land, of institutions for popular education, which 
characterize the spirit of our times and of our country. Even 
those, who in former times and other lands thought " ignorance 
the mother of devotion," find it essential to their purpose to rank 
themselves with the friends of this controlling spirit. But the 
interest thus manifest, however favorable to a partial cultivation 
of the mind and to the diffusion of knowledge among those previ- 
ously neglected, though it may conduce in some instances to 
higher attainments in particular branches of study, is far from 
elevating the standard of a Liberal Education : and, it is equally 
far from suitably fitting for their serious responsibilities those, 
upon whom, after all, we must depend to encourage, direct and 
sustain the whole movement, even for a widely diffused popular 
education. It is no new phase in the promotion of mental im- 
provement and learning that is now seen in other lands as well as 
all over our own country. It seems to be a habit of man to fol- 
low extremes and to avoid a proportional attention to whatever is 
valuable. There would seem to be some antagonism between dif- 
ferent branches of study, and some fatal consequence awaiting the 
symmetrical development of the whole mental and moral man. 
It is not enough that every facility be provided for those who, by 
circumstance or character, are limited to a narrower sphere ; but 
the whole system must be levelled and the foundation itself re- 
moved, on which we have hitherto based our hopes of sound learn- 
ing. Mental, moral and physical science must be divorced. 
Elegant literature must again contend for supremacy, if not for 
existence, with mathematics and philosophy. iEsthetics must give 
place to what is deemed more immediately conducive to the prac- 
tical purposes of the life that now is. Physical science must press 
its conquests at the expense of general cultivation, and particular 
professions are to attain a supposed higher, special qualification 
by neglecting what is not within their own immediate sphere. 



Or, as circumstances and apparent interest indicate, all this may 
be reversed ; but still so as to leave part in conflict with part 
throughout the educational system. 

But no class of opposition to liberal study is now more preva- 
lent or more effectual, than that arising from the utilitarian spirit 
of the age. The attention is fixed on what is present and material, 
and the aim and effort are valued in proportion as they promise 
wealth, or its kindred benefits. And, even in this contracted 
circle, appearance is taken for reality, and men contend for art 
against science, and for practice against theory, as though prac- 
tice must not at some point involve theory, and as though art 
could far progress without the aid of science. True they may be 
far separated in time, and by no means be found in the same per- 
son ; but their relation is nevertheless as real and as necessary 
as though simultaneously originating from the same source. After 
all, we may object not so much to a desire to secure the useful, as 
to the misapprehension of what constitutes the useful. Is it merely 
that which enables man to gain and increase wealth and to multiply 
material benefits ? Can his happiness be drawn from such sources ? 
Can his interests be secured alone or mainly by such means ? Man 
has mental, moral and social capacities, with their corresponding 
interests. He has relations not only to his family, but to society 
about him, to his country, to the world and to God, with their 
corresponding duties to be performed. He is a creature not merely 
for time but for eternity, for which he is to make suitable prepara- 
tion. Can the useful, then, be limited to the present, and to the 
material ? Must it not, of necessity, include whatever best devel- 
opes and educates the whole mental, moral and social man, 
whatever best qualifies him for happiness, usefulness and the per- 
formance of duty in every relation with men and with God ? Can 
the mere morning of his existence demand so much, and eternity, 
his unending day, be excluded from those interests, for which he 



is to provide ? Surely, then, whatever renders man happy, duti- 
ful and useful in all his relations, and prosperous in all his inter- 
ests for this life and for that which is to come, must have place 
among the useful in any rational estimate. 

It is with such difficulties that Liberal Study has before conten- 
ded, and the conflict continues undiminished in our own times. 
Amid much to gratify and to encourage, respecting popular edu- 
cation and special studies — the friends of a liberal course of study 
must still blench at no difficulties, nor be allured from their pur- 
pose by any empiricism of the age. Such is the real position of 
w T hat may, with propriety, be called a Liberal Education in our own 
land at the present time : and, this occasion naturally and almost 
necessarily requires us to review in the simplest manner the claims 
of such a system of Education. 

With this in view, it cannot be difficult to determine the char- 
acter and extent of the Education to be desired in circumstances 
such as now encompass us. The ultimate object to be attained is, 
the most perfect character and the greatest amount of happiness 
and usefulness for the whole of existence for ourselves and for 
others. The immediate object is to develope and strengthen every 
faculty of man, as an agent, — it is to furnish him with all possible 
knowledge, — to place at his disposal every attainable means, — it is 
to teach him how best to exert his power, and to apply his means 
for the attainment of his ultimate object. He is hence to learn 
what may rationally be expected and attempted, from the nature 
of the case ; and from the experience of others he is to be so 
taught the conditions of success and failure, as to preserve him 
equally from causeless depondency and inaction and from unrea- 
sonable confidence and rash activity. 

Less than this would be unworthy of our exalted position as 
men, of our privileges and responsibilities as American citi- 
zens, and of our obligations as Christians. So intimately are the 



9 

immediate and ultimate objects related, that the latter can rea- 
sonably be expected only as the former is attained. And, as in 
Christianity man should not only cultivate any particular grace and 
perform any individual duty to the utmost extent, but should im- 
prove in every grace and perform all duty, however varied with a 
like energy and fidelity ; — so, in education, should the whole man 
be trained to secure every interest and to meet every responsibility. 
As in Christianity, symmetry and proportion not less than any 
special excellencies are essential to the highest Christian attainments, 
so are symmetry and proportion essential to the highest excel- 
lence in any system for the training and furnishing of the human 
mind. And though, from the brevity and circumstances of a Col- 
lege course, and the extent of what is to be acquired, only the child 
or the youth of the future man can be formed ; yet, let the child pos- 
sess every faculty and lineament of the educated man, that when 
he comes to maturity he may possess in fair proportions all his 
members, senses, instincts, all his intellectual faculties and moral 
powers. "The child is father of the man," it is said, — child, 
then, though he may be, let him be in miniature the perfect 
man. 

It is however admitted, there may be some, indeed many, who 
having in view some particular department in practical life, need 
qualification for that particular sphere; while there may be neither 
time, capacity, nor disposition for a more liberal culture. So far 
as this claim depends upon a supposed incapacity, it is not certain 
that it should be considered an exception to the general rule. 
Bishop Butler has truly said, " The constitution of human crea- 
tures, and indeed of all creatures that come under our notice, is such 
as that they are capable of naturally becoming qualified for states 
of life, for which they were once wholly unqualified. We are capa- 
ble, not only of acting, and of having different momentary im- 
pressions made upon us, but of getting a new facility in any kind 
2 



10 

of action, and of settled alteration in our temper and character." 
This is certainly true of most of the cases of which I now speak. 
It is not, then to be assumed, that an indisposition, or an apparent 
want of adaptation, is necessarily an incapacity. The gain, how- 
ever, may not under certain circumstances, justify the expense — 
and the want of time necessarily limits the qualification. Un- 
questionably such wants should be supplied ; and if the Academy 
or the High School does not meet the demand, let the College afford 
every possible facility. Let the student pursue any study or class 
of studies, so far as shall not prejudice the chief object of the Insti- 
tution, that may meet his special necessities. If it is requisite, and 
if even for him, a more symmetrical, though equally brief course 
might not be better, a question which we now intentionally pass over, 
let it be granted with every advantage and honor consistent with 
the facts of the case. We may admit even more than this : — there 
may be some, who from causes just stated, but not to the same ex- 
tent, desire to secure more of what may still come short of a full, 
liberal Education. Wishing a wider sphere for their action in 
life, they yet intend so to limit that sphere, as not to demand as 
they suppose, those qualifications, which depend upon a full 
course of study. The languages, or mental, or physical scien- 
ces may, one or more of them, be deemed unessential to their pro- 
posed pursuits, — hence, these must be sacrificed. That such a de- 
mand exists arising either from necessity or from misapprehension, 
cannot be questioned. That this demand should be met is gener- 
ally conceded. Without doubt the wants of the community and 
the demands of the age, in which we live, should be regarded 
with consideration ; though we may doubt, in many or even in 
most cases, the desirableness of that condition of society, which 
originates the necessity. The College may the more readily sup- 
ply this requisition, as the regular classes afford every facility for 
so doing. No new Institution, or Professorship, or even classes 



11 

are here needed ; — for the liberal course of study does, or should, 
cover the whole ground. But we have yet met no consideration, 
which should make us forget that there is in our land another 
class — a class so large as to form a rule, to which all other classes 
resorting to our higher Institutions of learning, are exceptions. 
The age, aims and capacities of this class require all that can be 
attained. With these are associated many, who, though opposed 
by every difficulty, yield to no obstruction. They are men of no- 
ble soul, of high aspiration in what is good and great, and in all 
that is truly useful. They are men of settled purpose — men who 
rightly estimate the value of the object, and having counted the 
cost, demur not to pay the price. They would blush to feel that 
they are less, or can do less, than all for which they are endowed. 
They measure their capacity by what has been, what may be, and 
what ought to be, rather than by any present development. 
That such men have necessities, corresponding to their character 
and aspirations needs no formal statement. 

Admitting then the necessity for instruction adapted to all 
these classes, from those requiring but one branch to those ap- 
proximating to a full course of study, though still falling short of 
it, need this conflict with the wants of those differently circum- 
stanced ? They are permitted to pursue any and every study, for 
which they have inclination or ability, and to receive honorable 
testimonial of all actual attainment. On the principle that 
"knowledge is power," if circumstances permit not all we could 
desire, we may rejoice at every approximation to the perfect 
standard. And if all may not be secured, we cheerfully bestow a 
part. The more, the better ; even a little is better than none. We 
cannot adopt the sentiment, " Drink deep, or taste not." We 
congratulate the man, who, having but one talent, properly im- 
proves that. But must we not, upon the same principle, experience 
corresponding interest in all that is included in a Liberal Educa- 



12 

tion, and should we not with corresponding interest provide for 
their wants, who ask the highest qualifications — who wish symmetri- 
cally to train and proportionately to furnish the mind for any and 
every contingency, in this world of so serious responsibilities, and 
of so many and so strange vicissitudes ? We may, we ought, 
effectually to sympathize with those, whose circumstances neces- 
sarily limit their attainments ; but surely we ought not to sympa- 
thize with any, who, like the fox in the fable, would preserve 
their own relative position by curtailing the privileges of their 
fellows. 

It may be objected, that no man can know or do every thing. 
Hence, the principle o£ "division of labor" may be pressed to an 
extreme. The mental faculties may be divorced from each other 
in order to gain a special power, and the departments of litera- 
ture and science may be portioned out, as labor is divided in the 
manufacture of a pin, or of the works of a watch. Conceding 
most cheerfully all that may be required by this principle, when 
legitimately applied to the labor of the student, it is by no 
means seen that it is so applied at this stage of the mind's efforts 
in the departments of literature and science. When the point of 
that application is reached, we hope not to shrink from any of 
its responsibilities. But with reference to the necessities of the 
class last named, neither their age, circumstances, nor desires are 
ready for any special direction of the mind for life. They need, 
and if properly influenced, they wish, only that the whole mind be 
developed, directed and strengthened ; and that the whole field of 
sound learning be so spread out before them, as that they may 
see and appreciate its entire range. They ask first of all to be 
qualified to select, and then to prepare for, any special depart- 
ment. 

It ought perhaps to be more distinctly stated, that in our esti- 
mation, no system of education is adequate to the case, which 



13 

neglects to provide for the wants of the moral man. It is, indeed, 
assumed in a portion of the College curriculum, and may there- 
fore be included in what has been justly regarded as a Liberal 
Education. If it may not have, as in Harvard University, that 
ancient and honorable seat of liberal learning, a "Professorship 
of the heart," — it may and ought to devolve upon all the faculty 
the duties of that chair. Its spirit, no less than its form, should 
be made to pervade all professorial College influence. Sad must 
be our condition, when from the halls of literature and science 
shall be excluded the claims of the soul, in its relations to men, 
to God, and to eternity : — sad, indeed, must it be, if human at- 
tainments, however valuable, shall be there made at the expense of 
an interest in the great salvation of the Gospel. I would not place 
the cross over the portals of the College buildings ; but I would 
have its spirit pervade the common heart of the faculty, and I 
would test the standing and the safety of the Institution, not less 
by its success in influencing the moral, than in educating the in- 
tellectual man. 

We may now more particularly consider the adaptation of such 
an education to the attainment of the object proposed. We shall 
confine our attention chiefly to the immediate object — that is, to de- 
velope and strengthen every faculty of man, as an agent — to fur- 
nish him with all possible knowledge, as a means — and, to teach 
him how best to exert his power and to apply his means for the 
attainment of his ultimate object. 

That incomparable writer, Bishop Butler, has clearly presented 
the foundation on which this whole superstructure must rest. 
He did not so much argue the point, as he assumed it to be true, 
for the purpose of his "Analogy." After saying, "men are 
capable of naturally becoming qualified for states of life for which 
they were once wholly unqualified," and " of getting a new fa- 
cility in any kind of action, and of settled alterations in our tern- 



14 

per or character," he adds, in connexion, "However, the thing 
insisted upon is, not what may be possible, but what is in fact the 
appointment of nature, which is, that active habits are to be formed 
by exercise. Their progress may be so gradual, as to be imper- 
ceptible of its steps ; it may be hard to explain the faculty by 
which we are capable of habits, throughout its several parts, and 
to trace it up to its original, so as to distinguish it from all others 
in our minds ; and it seems as if contrary effects were to be 
ascribed to it. But the thing in general, that our nature is formed 
to yield, in some such manner as this, is matter of certain expe- 
rience. Thus by accustoming ourselves to any course of action, 
we get an aptness to go on, a facility, readiness and often pleasure 
in it. The inclination which rendered us averse to it grows 
weaker ; the difficulties in it, not only the imaginary, but the real 
ones, lessen ; the reasons for it offer themselves of course to our 
thoughts, upon all occasions ; and the least glimpse of them is 
sufficient to make us go on in a course of action, to which we have 
been accustomed. - And practical principles appear to grow 
stronger absolutely in themselves, by exercise, as well as relatively, 
with regard to contrary principles ; which, by being accustomed 
to submit, do so habitually, and of course. And thus a new char- 
acter, in several respects, may be formed ; and many habitudes of 
life, not given by nature, but which nature directs us to acquire. 
Indeed, we may be assured that we should never have had these 
capacities of improving by experience, acquired knowledge and 
habits, had they not been necessary, and intended to be made use 
of. And accordingly we find them so necessary and so much in- 
tended, that without them we should be utterly incapable of that 
which was the end for which we were made, considered in our tem- 
poral capacity only ; the employments and satisfactions of our 
mature state of life." That this is true, is evident to every care- 
ful observer of mankind. Each period of life is a condition of 



15 

preparation for that which is to follow, and the proper improve- 
ment of the present can alone fit for the future. By the perform- 
ance of all duty, every faculty is not only to be trained and 
strengthened, but powers previously dormant are to be awakened, 
and our tastes are to be not only chastened, but changed. The 
faculties of the infant begin their development by observation ; 
this is followed out in childhood and youth by a wider and more 
critical notice of external objects, with more or less use of the 
intellectual powers ; until in early manhood there are plainly de- 
veloped capacities, which did not appear in early life. So will 
also be seen a gradual increase of strength in each faculty, in pro- 
portion to its use. Why should not this law of the mind, not less 
than that of the body, continue in after life, not only in the strength 
and agility of faculties already manifest, but in the awakening 
and concentrating of those hitherto lying dormant ? Here, then, 
by the law of nature, Education first begins to exhibit its power. 
By that law, it commences in the nursery and in the family — to 
be early followed by the observation of men and things, a world 
of wonders above and about them — to be soon, how soon and to 
what precise extent cannot perhaps be definitely determined, at- 
tended by an apprehension of the world within them. The Crea- 
tor has himself thus beneficently provided, from the nature of the 
case, for the education of the mind in that earlier period, when its 
interests might be most neglected by those upon whom it must 
depend. What is ordinarily called Education, is the provision 
made by the parent, or by others, to follow out this process of 
unfolding and training the mind ; until, being furnished also, it is 
fitted for itself to choose, and qualified to fill its own sphere in 
life. The first influence, then, of the system is felt in the mind 
itself. Each faculty is unfolded by appropriate means and 
strengthened by a suitable use. To develop it, the germ of that 
faculty must itself be quickened ; to strengthen it, the faculty it- 



1G 

self must be exercised. There can be no exception to this, it is 
an invariable law. It is on this law that Dr. Wayland bases the 
most important of his views respecting the government of the 
conscience. "Conscience," he says, "follows the general law, 
by which the improvement of all our other faculties is regulated. 
It is strengthened by use, it is impaired by disuse" To prevent 
all possible misapprehension, he adds, " By use, we mean the use 
of the faculty itself and not of some other faculty. This is so 
plain a case, that it seems wonderful that there should have been 
any mistake concerning it. Every one knows that the arms are 
not strengthened by using the legs, nor the eyes by using the ears, 
nor the taste by using the understanding. So the conscience can 
be strengthened, not by using the memory, or the taste, or the 
understanding, but by using the conscience — -and by using it pre- 
cisely according to the laws, and under the conditions, designed 
by our Creator." From the connexion, we learn that he consid- 
ers, that the use of the faculty will be secured by its being brought 
into contact with its appropriate objects. 

The whole clearly and forcibly illustrates the position here urged. 
Each faculty is impaired, so far as it is disused ; it is developed 
and strengthened, in proportion to its exercise ; and, it assumes 
the character and type of that upon which or with which it is 
exercised, in proportion as the nearness and constancy of the 
contact is preserved. Plainly, therefore, there is no more mind, 
no more strength of the faculties, than there is use of those 
faculties. Startling as this general statement may be, I see 
not how the conclusion can be avoided without denying the 
premises, which seem to be true in fact. The perceptive and the 
reasoning faculties, the memory, the imagination and the con- 
science, fail in proportion as they are disused, and are quickened 
and strengthened in proportion as they are used. This is clearly 
seen in the history of individual minds. What then is the stand- 



17 

ard to be assumed by the friends of Education ? The mental and 
moral powers are the agent, by the use of which alone we can 
hope so to apply every class of influence as to secure our ultimate 
object. An agent is not expected to act contrary to the law of 
its own being. It acts with directness, with uniformity and with 
power, or the contrary, according to its own condition. It can 
contribute to the attainment of the ultimate object no more influ- 
ence in kind or degree, than it possesses. Shall we then educate 
the whole, or a part of the faculties ? Shall we afford the mind 
those circumstances, in which, favorably influenced, it may be 
best developed, moulded, and strengthened ; or, shall we cast it 
forth to the hap hazard influences of the world, by them inevitably 
to be weakened and deformed ? Almost every branch of litera- 
ture and science has for itself urged attention, not only for the 
knowledge it imparts, but for the discipline it affords the intellect. 
For the same reason, with a wider application, one so wide as to 
cover every department of knowledge, and to secure the disci- 
pline of all the faculties of man, we would urge attention to a 
course of liberal study. The curriculum of a College course is 
supposed to adapt itself to this necessity. It does not profess 
to perfect any faculty ; but to awaken, invigorate, and rightly di- 
rect each and all the faculties not only to act, but to act harmoni- 
ously. This it does by observing the law of the mind — by fur- 
nishing the legitimate means of calling every faculty into use, un- 
der the most healthful conditions. The course proposed, though 
it may not be perfect either in its parts, or in the proportional 
attention given them, cannot be passed in review without exhibit- 
ing this, its great, predominant feature. The distribution of every 
exercise and every study, with the proportional amount of time 
and attention bestowed on each, is designed to secure this essen- 
tial object. Whatever advantage may be derived from giving the 
whole attention to an isolated study, this great advantage must 
3 



18 

be lost, the symmetrical development of the whole mind. Nor 
is it true, that a qualification to pursue one branch becomes such 
for any other branch, further than it can awaken, stengthen, and 
direct those faculties, with which those other branches must be 
prosecuted. The superior claims of a Liberal Education appear 
especially in the fact, that that alone, though it perfects nothing, 
prepares the agent for the successful application of its powers to 
everything. It is here, we apprehend, that such a course is a sine 
qua non. Different branches of study may be more or less suc- 
cessfully pursued, for the sake of information, at our pleasure ; but 
the powers of the mind can themselves be applied only as they 
have been educated. In immediate connexion with this, is that 
too often forgotten, but not therefore the less important considera- 
tion, the securing of the mens sana in corpore sano. The in- 
timate relation and mutual dependence of body and, mind are well 
understood, and are frequently urged upon educated men ; little 
effect, however, is produced in leading them to the observance of 
those laws, by which the healthful condition of both may be pre- 
served. The spirit of the age, concentrated in this country, is 
urging men, each in his own sphere, with the power of steam and 
the velocity of lightning, alike regardless of the wear and tear 
upon his own system, and of other equally cogent claims. Not 
content with its almost unlimited sway in political and commercial 
life, it must seize upon the liberal professions, and seek to impel 
and direct the labor of the literary and scientific. Nor can men 
engage even in the divine employment of the Christian, but under 
the same distorted and stimulated system. The immediate conse- 
quence is what might be supposed. Perhaps at no period more 
than the present, nor in any land more than in this, has there 
been so much insanity — so many disordered minds in enfeebled, 
diseased bodies. The Church, the State, and social life are alike 
agitated by "men of one idea," — an idea so intense, as to disturb the 



19 

mental balance. The power, therefore, of man as an agent is weak- 
ened, and the direction of that power is perverted, and the ulti- 
mate object of life, in almost every essential feature, is very often 
lost. Is it not then worthy of inquiry, whether the best interests 
of men, in every respect, do not demand more regard to the laws 
of the Creator — to those laws especially, which regulate all our 
faculties in just and symmetrical action ? And may not that in- 
quiry, with propriety, be here, to day, pressed upon the attention 
of the philanthropist and the Christian, of the patriot and the 
friend of all learning? May it not be especially urged upon 
the affection and interest of those who are to qualify their sons 
one day to meet, as best they may, the wear and tear of this con- 
flict in life ? We do not, indeed, assume that an Education, how- 
ever symmetrically and judiciously conducted, would prove an an- 
tidote to all the evils of life ; but, we may safely assert that, other 
things being equal, a mind so educated is least perverted, is most 
strengthened in all its parts, and is best fitted to direct and exert 
all its powers. It is best prepared to meet every unfavorable in- 
fluence, with the least danger to body or mind, to the moral 
powers, or the social or civil relations. To furnish the mind with 
all possible knowledge, as a means to the great end, is not to be 
slightly valued, though it may not, from the, amount of informa- 
tion gained in any one study, equal popular expectation. The 
acquirement is, indeed, much more extensive, than is often sup- 
posed. Still, the object of a Liberal Education is not so much 
perfectly to furnish the mind for any one department, as it is to 
spread before the student an outline of all needful branches — to ex- 
hibit the true mode of investigation to be distinctively applied to 
every class of study, and to direct the mind to those sources of 
information, and to those means of a successful prosecution, which 
may, at pleasure, be applied to any sphere to which the attention 
may, in after life, be especially devoted. 



20 

If such is the influence of a liberal course of study upon man, 
as an agent, teaching him also how to make tributary to his pur- 
pose all knowledge, as a means, — its relations to different depart- 
ments of life must be apparent. 

In the learned professions, its necessity is becoming daily more 
imperative. They do not hold the high relative position in the 
community, that they once held. They no longer so effectively 
stretch an apparently magic wand over the general interests of 
society. Even in their distinctive spheres, their views are received 
with less reverence, and their directions are less implicitly fol- 
lowed. To meet this with lamentation and complaint at the de- 
terioration of the times, is as unjust, as it is unwise and useless. 
It is not perhaps so much the disposition, as it is the capacity of 
the community, that has changed. Mental culture and gene- 
ral knowledge have been widely diffused — this has really elevated 
the condition of general society, and it has much more elevated 
its self-esteem. The professions, with here and there most praise- 
worthy exceptions, have not made corresponding progress. With 
much assumption at being in the world in this nineteenth century, 
and with much show of assumed facts, of immature thought, and of 
hasty generalizations and conclusions, there is really little advance 
in solid attainments* Besides, the facility with which they can 
be entered has allured to them the immature and the uninstructed, 
in such numbers as seriously to affect not only the reputation, but 
the character of the professions. Having neglected either a 
suitable basis for general ability, or the special qualification need- 
ful to meet their daily exigencies, and having perhaps hurried 
over both of them, these empirics think, that to be classed with 
the able and the learned, makes them the same. Without capaci- 
ty, they assume responsibility, and hence fail. What marvel then, 
that the liberal professions should have lost a part of their influ- 
ence in a state of society so intelligent and so independent as our 



21 

own ! In the language of another : — " If the learned professions 
are ever to regain their ascendency, each in its appropriate sphere, 
it will not be by the spell of names or forms, nor yet by that of 
caste or social position ; it will be by obvious and incontestable 
evidence of superiority." 

But it is not enough that the professions should hold their rela- 
tive position in the community. They must also meet their own 
peculiar duties and responsibilities, necessarily enlarged in num- 
ber and importance from new phases and conditions in society, and 
the increased interests involved. 

The profession of law becomes more difficult in theory and in 
practice from the complications incident to the times in which we 
live. Its relations to the interests of the community generally, to 
the legislatures of our State and General Government, the relation 
of the Bar to the Bench, especially to the Bench of the Supreme 
Court of these United States, concentrate a weight of respon- 
sibility upon the legal profession, which should repel from it, awe 
struck, every aspirant of immature and unfurnished mind. It 
must not be supposed that pecuniary value alone is committed to 
their knowledge and skill : the dearest interests of the individual, 
of the family, and of the community, the interests of reputation 
and of life are poised upon their capacity and integrity. Now, 
when the mental ability which this involves is considered, the pro- 
cess of investigation, with the complicated character of what is 
to be examined, the extent of research into what may prove the 
basis of any decision ; when all these difficulties are remembered, 
surely none, but a man deranged in intellect or feeling, would 
presume upon entering, unqualified, this profession, unless, as " the 
hewer of wood and drawer of water" for its more worthy mem- 
bers. Nor can one contemplate the whole modus operandi of this 
profession, without seeing the necessity of all that mental capaci- 
ty and of all that knowledge which the most liberal culture sup- 



22 

poses. Every faculty of the intellect must be ready for use, as 
each in turn may be summoned to act ; the moral man must be so 
trained that every passion is subject to a well regulated will. The 
whole circle of knowledge must be around him, that he may avail 
himself of light from any direction ; he must know where to find 
the aid he needs, and he must know how to read up, if necessary, 
the subject before him of whatever nature it may be. Then 
comes the much easier, though often difficult work of making evi- 
dent to others, what is patent to his own mind. 

Has the medical profession a less extensive or imperative ne- 
cessity for qualification ? The interests involved therein are the 
most momentous of those belonging chiefly to the present life. 
Happiness and usefulness, for ourselves and others, in every rela- 
tion, largely depend upon health, and are wholly closed by death ; 
but health and life are committed almost unconditionally to the 
skill and fidelity of the medical man. An investigation of what 
enters into the varied elements of that skill, upon which we thus 
rely, would exhibit a demand for the utmost of mental improve- 
ment, and for a range of information, including whatever in the 
material, mental, or moral world, may affect the human system in 
its multiplied conditions of illness or health. It is not sufficient 
that he understands the complex machinery of the body in its 
parts and as a whole, and is able to detect every symptom of 
disorder therein ; or that he has at command the whole Materia 
Medica and can premise the effect of its every article. He must 
have mental power sufficient to trace disease in its utmost compli- 
cations, and to detect its most hidden connexions with internal and 
external causes. There must be knowledge and ability to coun- 
teract these causes from whatever source they may arise, and to 
adapt a combination of medicaments to the worst complications of 
disease. And what is more, the application must often be imme- 
diate, or it will come too late. Life or death hang upon a word, 



and that must be given without delay. Is this the time and are 
these the interests to be trifled with by one, whose indolence or 
folly has hurried him unqualified to assume such responsibilities ? 
How often is the physician baffled in every attempt to benefit his 
patient, and how often does he even aggravate bodily disease by 
ignorance of the mental and moral constitution and its relation to 
the body ? He prides himself, perhaps, upon putting away from 
his diagnosis the only indication of a successful treatment. He 
reasons against or ridicules the mental condition — and he urges 
what a more intimate knowledge of the human mind and heart 
would teach him, must prevent recovery. This is true of condi- 
tions of mind arising from various sources of worldly solicitude ; 
but it is especially true where the moral man is agitated from 
religious considerations. Under such circumstances, the well qual- 
ified physician will not attempt to exclude from the sick room all 
presentation of religious subjects. He well knows that the agita- 
tion of the heart arises from what is already known or feared by 
the patient. Much less will he attempt, by reason or by ridicule, 
merely to silence the admonitions of conscience, of common sense, 
and of the Bible, at a moment when such considerations so natu- 
rally arise in a thinking, honest mind. If he is acquainted with 
the mental wants of his patient and is prepared himself to meet 
them, his first prescription will often be for the mind and the 
heart ; and if he has not the needed qualification, he will invite 
the co-operation of those who have it. Many a medical man 
might save his own reputation and the life of his patient, by ask- 
ing from another source, what is deficient in his own qualification 
in mental and moral science. The experienced, able physician 
understands this — it is only those who most need, that least appre- 
ciate it. This, however, is only one class of those varied influen- 
ces which arise at almost every point, and which imperatively call 
upon the medical profession for a preparation adequate to their 



24 

weighty responsibilities. Is this then a profession to be crowded 
by men who know not the meaning of the term, mental disci- 
pline — who, but comparatively a short time since, could not define 
the word, physiology, and were wholly ignorant of what generally 
or specifically was intended in medical practice ? Must the commu- 
nity commit life and health to men, whose only professed qualifi- 
cation is a very brief period of private study with some medical 
man, and then an attendance upon two or three courses of lec- 
tures, so crowded in time, as to exhaust the mind in hearing, 
without after reflection, but whose real qualification, if it be such, 
is the presumption and rashness that could induce them to assume 
such a responsibility ? Much is often and justly urged against 
quackery and empiricism ; but what are the pretensions of such 
men, but pretensions to skill which they do not possess ; and on 
what must all hope of their final success depend, but upon a daily 
empiricism ? They must learn by practice upon their patients, 
and it may be at the expense of life, in order to save the time or 
the money, or to avoid the self-denial incident to a proper qualifi- 
cation. It is then no answer to all this, that many thus situated 
have finally succeeded, and are now safe and useful men. Before 
this can be admitted, it should first be seen, at what expense of 
health and life it has been purchased ; and we must consider by 
what right, men so situated subject the welfare of others to such 
hazard. It is well for the medical profession, and well for the 
lives and health of the community, that this noble calling is hon- 
ored by so large a number of men of a widely different stamp, 
men of broad culture, of extensive and varied knowledge, and 
who grudge no expense of money, time, and effort that may the 
better fit themselves to adorn their profession and to benefit society. 
It is from this class of noble men in the profession, that the first 
and most importunate plea has been presented for increased qualifi- 
cations in those who are to assume its responsibilities. And while 



others have been indignant at quackery and empiricism out of the 
profession, these have been anxious to remove this reproach from 
among themselves. 

The qualifications requisite for the clerical profession will be 
differently estimated, as their duties and responsibilities are more 
or less extended. If their only business is to announce the more 
simple and general truths of the New Testament without regard 
to the peculiarities of character or circumstances, leaving the 
auditor, on his own responsibility, to hear or rwbear, the needed 
preparation is that of the heart, rather than of the intellect. 
There are few who are at heart Christians and can read the Bible, 
who may not repeat to their fellow men its more general state- 
ments, directions, and assurances. But certainly this comes short 
of meeting all the religious necessities of men, as individuals or 
as communities ; and if these wants of men are not otherwise pro- 
vided for, the ministry of the Gospel must meet them. It would 
be difficult, either in this or in heathen lands, to find a community 
where the very announcement of those elementary truths would 
not necessarily involve more, and that to an extent without any 
marked limitation ; nor will any, but the ministry, follow up those 
simple truths to their practical and experimental results, as was 
plainly intended by the Author of Christianity. The gospel 
minister, if worthy of his office, will understand the necessity. 
Though pressed by no divine command to do more, a command 
would issue from the benevolence of his own heart, to meet every 
condition of mankind, to remove every obstruction and use every 
instrumentality, to reach every faculty of intellect and heart, so 
as, if possible, to bring men to a hearty acceptance of his Lord 
and Saviour. So, also, his reverence for God, his regard for all 
that is lovely and of good report, and for the welfare of men, 
would lead him to use all right, available means, that as others 
become Christians, they might perfect their own characters, honor 
4 



2C 

their profession, glorify God, and benefit the world. So, 
again, if men become Christians, they must be met in their collec- 
tive capacity, and the same regard to God, to truth, and to the 
interests of men, would constrain the minister of the Gospel to 
centre every possible influence adapted to direct and impel the 
Christian body to obey their Master's last command, " Go ye into 
all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature," — " Teach- 
ing them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." 
It is sufficient, thjpfore, that we know the various religious neces- 
sities of men, that in some way adequate provision must be made 
for them, and that, judging from the past and from the nature of 
the case, no such provision can reasonably be expected, unless it 
be secured by the Gospel ministry. Whatever aid or co-operation, 
then, may be received, upon that ministry rest the momentous 
responsibilities connected with all human, Christian influence, 
touching the happiness and welfare, the dangers, duties, and privi- 
leges of men for this life and for the future worl^J. They are to 
instruct and instrumentally to affect the heart, to guide and to 
impel. To do this, they must meet the human intellect and affec- 
tions in their untold intricacies, they must know, so as to appre- 
ciate, not only the nature but the extent of internal and external 
influences, and they must so fully understand all available resour- 
ces, whether found in the works of God, or in his revealed will, 
or in his providential government, as to select at pleasure what is 
adapted to every character, time, and condition. It may be con- 
ceived how men, too ignorant to appreciate an education, or how 
young men who have never known the difficulties and anxieties 
of a pastor, should undervalue the essential qualifications. It may 
be conceived, even, how those, whose minds have been trained 
from their youth, and with whom knowledge has gradually accu- 
mulated, before they could have felt its practical necessity, who 
have long since left the pastorship with its immediately pressing 



27 

necessities ; it may be conceived how these, overlooking its daily 
responsibilities, come to regard what is plain to themselves, being 
indeed the result of a life-time accumulation, as almost intuitive 
and equally plain to those less favored. But how one, with a 
pious heart and cultivated mind, who has long carried the burden 
of souls, who has often wept in bitterness before God, at his ina- 
bility effectively to reach the hearts of his people, who has per- 
haps frequently trembled lest his failure may have been the resuft 
of his own want of qualification, how such an one can undervalue 
the most liberal culture for this sacred office, is, indeed, past all 
comprehension. 

It is evident, men often consider the business of the Gospel 
ministry, as consisting mostly in the knowing and the making 
known of truth, in the knowing, stating, and defending of certain 
dogmas. Even this might demand some maturity of mind and 
extent of information on so momentous a subject, connected with 
the claims of God and with the interests of man's unending exist- 
ence. But, if we at all understand the relation of Christianity to 
the character, duty, and welfare of men, this constitutes but a 
portion of his duty, who becomes Christ's minister to his fellows. 
He is, indeed, to know and teach the truth, but he is to do this less 
as an end, than as a means to that end. The want of qualifica- 
tion is seen not more in the pulpit, than in private intercourse, not 
more in formal discourse, than in personal conversation, in that 
part of his work where few words are needed or permitted ; but 
those few must be fitted to their end. As the physician, knowing 
the condition of his patient and the effect of every medicament, 
must apply the exact and only remedy, under right conditions to 
the end desired, so the minister of the Gospel must have at com- 
mand and apply to the mind and heart that very consideration, 
which God gave for the very purpose of meeting the special con- 
dition of the soul of man. In Natu^ the Creator has provided 



28 

remedies for the diseases of the bodj ; but the botanist and the 
chemist must make them known, and the physician must give them 
a judicious and timely application. So has that same beneficent 
Being provided remedies for the disorders of the soul. We ques- 
tion whether a condition or want of the mind or heart, in any 
circumstance, for time or eternity, can be found for which God 
has not in Nature, in Providence, or in Revelation, made special 
provision. But he, to whom Grod has committed the care of souls, 
must understand them and their effects, he must know where to 
find them, when needed, and under what circumstances to apply 
them, and he must have such command of his own powers, as to 
be able successfully to make that application. Hence, the quali- 
fication which this ministry demands, must include whatever may 
best train the mind clearly to apprehend and to exhibit, and effec- 
tively to apply all, that in Nature, Providence, or Revelation is 
adapted to remove or diminish danger, and to promote the reli- 
gious welfare of man. With the discipline then of what part of 
the mind, with the acquisition of what department of knowledge, 
can he dispense ? Every class of his faculties are needed for con- 
stant use, and that which he fails to know may be the very, the 
only thought or fact, that can reach the end he seeks in a partic- 
ular case. Not only the knowledge, but the habits dependent upon 
a study of the languages are of essential moment ; with mental 
and moral science in all its bearings he must be familiar to appre- 
hend the necessities of his office ; he must be versed in all that 
belongs to the teaching of Nature and Revelation, with whatever 
in the relation and conduct of others does or can affect the char- 
acter and religious prospects of men. The very foundation upon 
which all his instruction and labor must be based, — the divine au- 
thority of the Sacred Scriptures, — is maintained in the confidence 
of men, by a knowledge sometimes of one science and sometimes 
of another. Often and long it has been contested on metaphysi- 



29 

cal grounds, and from the immediate relation of metaphysics to 
morals and religion, fhi$ an acquaintance with that branch of study 
will always be essential to the ministry^But now the attack upon 
Christianity is more especially made with physical science, in its 
numerous phases and connexions, and he is ill qualified to defend 
the truth and to protect the welfare of his charge, who is ignorant 
of all these, and who has no capacity to wield a weapon so effica- 
cious for the promotion of his object, and which can, with so much 
effect, be turned against that object. What tken should be the 
standard for ministerial education? Can it be less than what is 
called a Liberal Education, designed to be a foundation for that 
which is more especially professional ? The question is not what 
men must do, whose course is limited by circumstances over which 
they have no control. If there is a necessity — if some must do a 
little only, or do nothing — then, that little is better than none, 
and he does well for the religious welfare of men, who does all he 
can. Respecting this necessity, each one must judge for himself, 
not forgetting that for all the consequences of wilful ignorance 
and want of power, God will hold him responsible. The question, 
however, really is, what should we desire ? What should be the 
standard for those who can command the time and means ? Can 
there be here even a momentary doubt ? Surely the man, who 
would wilfully enter this sacred office, without obtaining all the 
qualification in his power, is not the man to be intrusted with such 
momentous interests. He who, from indolence, vanity, or any 
worldly consideration, would thus trifle with the honor of his 
Master, the good of the world, and with that, for which all the 
agony of the Cross was endured, should be repelled from the pro- 
fession, as wanting in the right kind of a heart. Let it not be 
assumed that such a man will afterwards, by diligence, become 
qualified. His previous disregard of the proper qualification for 
the trust, affords little promise of after appreciation and diligence. 



30 

And why should he be permitted to degrade this sacred calling 
with his quackery, doubly objectionable, when connected with re- 
ligion, or why should he be allowed to practice his empiricism at 
the expense of the souls of men ? 

There is another profession, that of the teacher, which is not 
less important than those already considered, because so intimately 
related to /their objects and labors. In our own country, especial- 
ly, the influence of the teacher is now felt in every department of 
life. Whether r^ht or wrong, they almost from the nursery fill 
one of the most responsible positions of the parent. They take 
charge of the mind and give to it its first direction, and this office 
is held, with both sexes, through the entire process of the forma- 
tion of character. The discipline and the furnishing of the mind 
are mostly at their disposal, until pupils are supposed to be fitted for 
their place in society. What is of great moment here is, that 
the character which teachers form, the habits they fix, must corres- 
pond with their own character and habits. Whether they intend 
it, or not, "like will produce its like." Men can teach only what 
they know — and honest men generally teach their own principles. 
Added to this, is the impression, often continued through life, that 
the facts and principles so taught are necessarily as thus represent- 
ed. Totthis no one can reasonably object, nor, except in very 
early life, can this influence be wisely abridged. If the teacher 
cannot be confided in, he labors in vain, and if he cannot in 
some good degree secure the co-operation of the parent, to that 
extent his influence is lost. What, then, is the parent to do ? 
Must he submit his child to this almost unlimited influence of 
another ? We answer, unquestionably, yes — unless he has himself 
qualification and leisure for the work, or, unless he casts his child, 
ignorant and undisciplined, to the out-door influence of such asso- 
ciates as would probably gather around one so circumstanced. 
The parental relation would certainly not be better sustained in 



31 

that school, usually one of poverty and vice. In the state of so- 
ciety now existing in this country, the question is not whether the 
parent alone shall influence his child ; but it is, with whom shall 
be divided that influence. What then must he do ? The only 
consistent answer is, he should qualify himself, so far as possible, to 
know what is needed and to judge of what is done, he should choose 
only such teachers as he can trust, and on no condition should he 
select a mould, the impression of which he would regret to see in- 
delibly impressed upon his child. If this view is correct, how 
responsible is the position of this profession, and how intimately 
are its duties and its interests connected with its qualifications. 
In the Primary School, the Academy, the College, and the Pro- 
fessional Institution, the same law holds good, and under it, the 
individual, the family, the church, and society generally are to be 
moulded for weal or for woe. Nor is it safe to assume, that be- 
cause only a single branch of study is to be taught, therefore 
qualification in that alone is needed. God has so made the world 
that there can be no confidence in any such isolation of men and 
things. In the physical, mental, and moral world, its facts, prin- 
ciples, and qualities, with their influences, are so intimately asso- 
ciated, that no one of them can be so isolated, as to be unaffected 
by the presence or absence of the others. So God has connected 
men and things in every department of life, and we have seen 
that he has settled a law of our nature, that the mental faculties 
in order to be proportional and the character to be symmetrical 
must be rightly trained. How then, can the teacher have been 
exempt from this law in the formation of his own character ? 
How can the man of one idea merely, have or impart symmetry 
in his teaching, or in its associated influences ? He and he alone, 
in ordinary cases, can safely be trusted to exhibit special sub- 
jects, who, from general culture, has viewed the special in its varied 
relations. The only exception, we apprehend, to this general 



32 

rule, is, where the pupil is merely to receive facts, and is prepared, 
himself, to remedy the defects of his teacher. The connexion 
of all this with a liberal course of study must be apparent. It 
is one of the most gratifying aspects of society in our own times, 
that this important profession is being filled by so large a propor- 
tion of liberally educated men — men qualified to adorn any station 
and to perform successfully the difficult duties of their offices. 

When we remember the social, civil, and religious influence of 
these professions in the community, we see an additional reason 
of great weight, imperatively requiring the most liberal qualifica- 
tion for their difficult duties and great responsibilities. 

If a Liberal Education is necessary for the learned professions, 
it is certainly desirable for all classes — it is especially so in a con- 
dition of society and under a government like our own. It is 
true, every individual, or one perhaps in every family, cannot be 
so trained. But if that may not be, there is certainly no impos- 
sibility in liberally educating so many in each class of society, as 
largely to communicate the indirect benefits of that culture, and 
extensively to modify the consequences of ignorance and partial 
information throughout the circles in which they move. There 
can be no impossibility in affording the most liberal culture to 
those on whom all classes rely for such discipline and knowledge, 
as their different circumstances may permit. Their teachers can 
be so trained as to know how to impart instruction symmetrically 
in even the elementary branches. There would thus be given a 
healthful bias to the popular mind, which would essentially aid it 
in after effort, as inclination and ability might permit. The re- 
sult would undoubtedly be, that many, whose lives might other- 
wise be spent in mental darkness and imbecility, would be led 
gradually to improve their minds, and ultimately to have in their 
own character many of the essential benefits even of a liberal 
education. The desirableness of such a result for American citi- 



33 

zens can hardly be overstated. The connexion of the Legislature, 
of the Judiciary, and of the Executive Government with the body 
politic, is such, as to throw back upon the community itself, the 
necessity for much even of that qualification which is essential 
to the highest and most responsible officers of the government. 
Not only are these places of sacred trust open to every class and 
condition of society, but they must be filled by the popular bal- 
lot ; and the community must and will elect their officers, accord- 
ing to their own characters and to the extent of their own knowl- 
edge. What marvel, then, if ignorant and vicious citizens should 
choose ignorant and vicious officers ? And, what prospect can 
there be for permanency in all that is valuable in our present 
form of government, if the community is not itself an intelligent 
and sound thinking body ? Let it not be supposed that a few 
leaders, of liberal culture, can direct the wishes and measures of 
such a people. The ignorant naturally sympathize with men like 
themselves, and are more likely to be led by political demagogues, 
who, to secure their votes, will, for the time at least, imitate their 
habits, than by a few men of ability, and of well trained, well 
furnished minds. The history of republican institutions may 
certainly teach us a lesson, that may well tingle the ears of those 
who undervalue, in our land, the most liberal, and the most widely 
diffused mental culture. It is not, indeed, to be supposed that 
education alone, however liberal and however extended in the 
community, could preserve free, republican institutions to a people. 
Without true religion, all other influences will fail to meet the 
exigency. There must be a religion in the body politic and in their 
rulers, such as may secure to them the favor and the blessing of 
God, and such as qualifies them to appreciate and rightly to im- 
prove that blessing. But if mental culture, without Christianity, 
cannot secure our liberties, neither can Christianity do it, without 
mental culture. Destitute of that, Christianity, soon corrupted, be- 



34 

comes bigoted and despotic. It is only Christianity itself, true in 
its spirit and in its practice, that can secure the free institutions of 
a people, and then it is literally true, that " The fear of the Lord 
is the beginning of wisdom," and that where Christianity rules, 
"Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of " the u times 
and strength of salvation." But it is not enough that the nation 
has a Gospel ministry, properly educated ; the religious mass 
must be educated, or priest-craft, with its consequences, will be 
something more than it yet is, a mere bugbear in our land. 
When Christianity does not quicken, invigorate, and inform the 
minds of the mass of those who profess to receive it, it can no 
longer be relied upon to preserve the liberties of the people. 

Nor let it be supposed that what is called a popular education 
that is merely special, and that does not extend to the formation 
of something like symmetry of character, will meet the necessi- 
ties of our country. We confess that, with all our pleasure at 
the wide diffusion of knowledge and of a partial education, there 
is mingled a deep solicitude, lest what so brightly glitters may not 
after all be gold. There is cause for apprehension that the intel- 
lect of men quickened, but not disciplined, strengthened dispro- 
portionately in its parts, may come with the more power into dis- 
ordered action, and that there may be knowledge sufficient to 
teach them that they have rights and that they may seek them ; but 
not enough to exhibit what constitutes those rights in kind or de- 
gree, or the legitimate means by which they may be secured. 
The history of other republics may teach us the fearful conse- 
quences of that class of mind when aroused to action and misdi- 
rected. Any very large number of such minds in a community 
lies just near enough to the mass to hurry all in frenzy to the 
wildest outrages. A conservative spirit, pervading the mass of 
the people, as well as the leaders of parties, is essential 'to the 
safety of our free institutions. The interests of the community, 



35 

pecuniary or otherwise, may measurably balance society and act 
conservatively ; but no reliance, for the securing of that spirit, 
can be placed upon any thing that does not include hearty, prac- 
tical Christianity and the most liberal culture of the mind. The 
one symmetrically moulds and furnishes the intellect, and the other, 
in equally beautiful proportions, educates the heart and impels 
the conduct, and they dwell together in the sweetest concord. If 
to all this, it be objected that it is too difficult and too expensive, 
it should be remembered, as a lesson from the past, that it will be 
more difficult and more expensive to secure our best interests, as a 
people, by any other course. 

If, however, a College course, or its equivalent, be thus neces- 
sary, a Professional Education is not less so. This evidently ap- 
pears at every stage of our investigation of the subject. For spe- 
cial, as for general purposes, corresponding knowledge is needed — 
there is no magic in professional influence. If the medical pro- 
fession misapprehend the disease, or the remedy, or the circum- 
stances under which it should be applied, the patient must, in or- 
dinary cases, endure the consequence. If the lawyer misinter- 
prets law, or fails to penetrate the merits of the case, or rightly 
to present it in court, his own reputation and the welfare of his 
client must suffer the penalty. This principle holds equally true 
respecting the labors of the Gospel ministry. The laws of the 
mind are as fixed as are those of the body, and they must be ob- 
served, as much in our relations to God and to a future world, as 
they are in our relations to men and to the present state of exist- 
ence. Even those highest influences, which come from the Divine 
Spirit, are regulated by established principles. Those principles 
are stated in Revelation, always it may be in connexion with facts, 
and they must be observed by the minister of Christ and by his 
people, if they would enjoy that richest of God's bestowments 
upon our race. 



36 

On no consideration, therefore, can we safely dispense "with 
special qualification for special duties. This is one great advan- 
tage of a Liberal Education, that it so extends our resources. So 
settled is the conviction of this condition of success, that if the 
necessity exists, (and we admit, necessity submits to no law but its 
own,) if then men cannot take time to obtain suitable preparation, 
if they must, in order to meet existing wants, enter the profes- 
sions without proper culture, then, let them have their briefer 
course in those studies immediately adapted to their duties. This 
necessity of qualification for one's particular sphere seems to be 
admitted in all professional life, except in the ministry of the 
Gospel. It is strange that it should not also be felt in that office, 
where the most important of all interests, are, instrumentally 
considered, staked upon the character of the agent and of the 
means he may employ. Men are misled by considering only a 
part of the facts of the case. That much good may be done, and 
that some, who thus enter this sacred office largely improve by 
experience, may not be denied. But there is another considera- 
tion, too frequently overlooked, that this whole profit by empiri- 
cism is often at the expense of those very objects for which the 
minister labors. Much of that failure, which is attributed, very 
piously perhaps, to the mysteriousness of the Divine Agency, 
should be accounted for from the nature of the case. Professional 
study, then, under the most favorable circumstances possible, is 
indispensable. So, also, provision should be made for the accom- 
modation of resident graduates. Men, wishing to pursue specific 
branches of study, would then be favorably circumstanced to read 
up and follow out particular subjects to any extent desired. The 
requisite aid could be imparted by the Faculty, and access could 
be had to the library and other College appliances. Little more 
would be necessary, either for the amateur student, or for those 
seeking more extensive qualifications for any particular sphere. 



37 

It only remains to add a thought or two respecting the circum- 
stances under which such an Education should be sought. The 
College has been assumed as meeting this demand. This is done, 
not because an Education, and a Liberal Education, cannot possibly 
be obtained elsewhere. Men are among us, in different depart- 
ments of life, with symmetrically disciplined and liberally fur- 
nished minds, who never enjoyed the advantages of a College. 
But they have, perhaps, never told us at what expense they have 
attained their present position, nor what sources of disquietude, 
connected with their solitary habits, still remain with them. Many 
of them have expended more time, money, and health, than would 
have been requisite with the aids afforded by a well conducted 
College. They have been beset with the greatest difficulties, those 
incident to their studies, and those also incident to their isolated 
position, and they have nobly met them all, and conquered. But, 
let it be remembered, where one has come off victorious, and 
others perhaps unharmed, many, very many, have fallen victims in 
the strife, — victims, not so much to what was essential to the con- 
flict, as to the circumstances under which it was conducted. 
Viewed, therefore, in the most impartial light, College life is, un- 
questionably, the best condition, in which to obtain a Liberal Edu- 
cation. It most meets every demand of mind and heart of the 
individual and social being. Mind is not only in contact with 
mind, and passion with passion ; but light radiating from numer- 
ous sources, and tinged with what is peculiar to the medium of 
transmission, is concentrated upon the mind of the pupil. Erratic 
tendencies, if they there first manifest themselves, may there 
also be corrected, at times even before the student or his friends 
are aware of such a condition. Indeed, the very strongest objec- 
tion to College life is perhaps a reason why it should be chosen. 
The temptations are regarded as peculiar ; but it should not be 



38 

forgotten that one great object of a College course is to develop 
and discipline the mind. Evil propensions should be restricted 
and the good encouraged, not by withdrawing all trial of the dis- 
position ; but by meeting the difficulty and converting it into an 
instrument for good. It is on this principle that the Holy Scrip- 
tures bid us, " Count it all joy when we fall into divers tempta- 
tions," and so the true Christian " overcomes the world," not 
merely by resisting, but by conquering, and then making this 
enemy of the soul tributary to its best interests and purposes. So, 
also, it should not be forgotten, that the evil propensities are not 
evil in themselves, and cannot be removed from the human con- 
stitution. Our Creator bestowed them upon us for the varied pur- 
poses of our being, and it is their misapplication, in character or 
degree, that constitutes their evil. Let them appear, then, if they 
must, and let them be disciplined, while the age and circumstan- 
ces of the student incline him to be influenced by governors and 
tutors. In ordinary cases, the College does not originate the evil 
deplored. Parental solicitude and watchfulness should long before 
have detected the erratic tendency. In some such cases the Col- 
lege may not remedy the evil : then the pupil, for the welfare of 
his associates, must be removed ; but the majority even of such 
as may thus early have begun to wander, may by just such disci- 
pline as the College affords be saved to themselves, to their fami- 
lies and to the community. 

The same principle applies to a College location. Education, 
to have all its advantages, should be conducted where the student 
sees men and things under almost every condition of society and 
circumstance. Let him study not only books, but men. Let him 
contemplate theory where he has practical life to illustrate it, and 
where its application is apparent. This might remove the objec- 
tion, so often and not always without reason, made to College 



education, that it does not adapt men to practical life, and that 
becoming mere students, isolated from society, they are lost to 
the community, especially to social life. 

The College, then, is, in all ordinary cases, the best condition 
in which to obtain an Education, and a city, where life is seen in 
all its aspects, is the best location for that purpose. 

Such I believe are substantially the views, which first originated 
and have since sustained the College, whose thirty-fourth commence- 
ment we to day attend. It has met and surmounted difficulties, 
under which many others might have failed. Great credit is due to 
those, by whom, contending against such difficulties, it has been 
conducted to its present position. A review of its condition and 
the advantages it affords, shows, that it largely, if not fully, 
meets the necessities we have considered as connected with a Liber- 
al Education. While it rests its main hope of usefulness upon the 
regular, College course, it^ adapts its courses of study to the wants 
of the times. The student, if he does not pursue a thorough, 
liberal course (which in all possible cases, he is encouraged to do,) 
may select, if he prefers, the Scientific or Philosophical course, or 
if necessity compels, he may pursue any particular branch of 
study, not provided for by the High School — and receive testi- 
monials of proficiency, varying from the certificate of actual at- 
tainment to the degree of B. P. — A. B. — and A. M, Here too 
the graduate may reside ad libitum, to advance his attainments in 
any particular study. And where can external circumstances be 
better adapted to promote the object in view ? The College is 
sufficiently retired to secure the most quiet, mental labor ; still in 
immediate connexion with a state of society, where life is seen in 
its almost every possible phase, — where there appears not only 
every quickening influence to the mind ; but where the moulding 
process may be conducted under all the advantages of a daily in- 
fluence connected with the excellencies and defects of every class 



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and character of public men, — where the teacher is not con- 
fined to his text and reference books, but may exhibit in almost 
every department the practical illustration and application of the 
studies pursued,— where social life in its different classes,— and 
where the Legislature and the Judiciary of our Government are 
open for the improvement of the student, while under the guid- 
ance of his teachers, — where the most valuable Libraries and the 
richest collections from nature and art may aid his investigations, 
and, where, I am happy to add, the Gospel ministry, among the 
different denominations, promises, by its piety and ability, so much 
for the moral and religious welfare of the student. 

What more need I add, but that the College has a Board of 
Trustees, whose aims are high, and whose purpose is unfaltering, 
and, that it has a Faculty who will blench at no difficulty and tire 
under no labor, necessary to the welfare of such as may be com- 
mitted to their charge. 



"Oct. 



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